Lisa Keen

A federal judge in Texas refused Thursday to grant a stay of Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s policy of granting equal benefits to gay married city employees. A federal judge in Arizona has agreed to let Lambda Legal’s lawsuit for state employee benefits there proceed as a class action. Equality Maine backs Mike Michaud. And more…

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor gave attorneys representing same-sex couples in Utah until noon today to file a brief in opposition to Utah’s request for a stay of a federal district court decision that struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is pondering whether to grant Utah a stay of the federal district court decision that is allowing same-sex couples to marry in that state. Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist apologizes profusely. Arsonist sought in New Year’s Eve fire at major bar in Seattle. And more…

He’s in a tight race for governor, but in an extraordinary interview, Florida’s former Republican Governor Charlie Crist apologized for having supported efforts to ban on same-sex marriage on the ballot in that state in 2008.

Utah’s new attorney general will be sworn in today and has indicated he hopes to send a request to the U.S. Supreme Court today seeking a stay on a federal district court ruling that has allowed same-sex couples to obtain marriage licenses there since December 20. Showdown in Houston. And more…

Even before the year began, everyone knew what the big news story for 2013 would be. In December 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear two high-profile cases testing the right of the federal government to treat same-sex married couples as second-class citizens and the right of a state to ban same-sex couples from marrying. What no one knew then, of course, was how the court would rule. And there were a number of other unpredicted developments in a most extraordinary year.

Three of the eight members of the LGBT Congressional Caucus have sponsored bills specific to the LGBT community. A bill from a fourth mentions sexual orientation discrimination. Only one of the four first-termers has an LGBT bill.

A federal appeals court refused to grant a stay of a lower court decision requiring Utah to allow same-sex couples to obtain marriage licenses, World War II hero Alan Turing gets a posthumous pardon from the Queen. The White House criticizes the Ugandan Parliament’s new anti-gay law. And more….

Equality Maryland snubbed openly gay gubernatorial candidate Heather Mizeur. A federal judge in Virginia refused to dismiss a lawsuit against that state’s ban on same-sex marriages. And more victories in Utah and Ohio…

State officials in Utah will go before a federal judge this morning to ask that he place a stay on an order he issued Friday, enjoining the state from enforcing its ban on same-sex couples marrying. More than 100 couples have already married, since the decision was released late Friday. And more…

New Mexico becomes the 17th marriage equality state. Figure skater Brian Boitano becomes the third openly gay person in the U.S. official delegation to the Olympic games in Russia. A judge in Houston blocks lesbian Mayor Annise Parker’s plan to extend equal benefits to married gay city employees. And more…

The New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday that the state’s interpretation of marriage laws to ban same-sex couples violates the state’s constitution. The ruling makes New Mexico the 17th marriage equality state and means that now more than one-third of the nation’s population lives in a state that provides for marriage equality.

The Supreme Court refused this week to take up a case to determine if a state has liability when it fails to protect a student from a bully. A report says an official under President George W. Bush deliberately target gay employees for removal from their jobs. And more…

The White House has named two openly gay athletes as part of its delegations to the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympics in Sochi in February. A Texas Republican group has filed suit against Houston’s openly lesbian mayor. The Senate is taking two important votes today on budget matters. And more…

The Senate votes today on the House-Senate budget agreement but the nation’s largest LGBT community center says it still leaves community groups underfunded. Post-DOMA regulation changes may make it more difficult for students who have same-sex spouses or same-sex parents to qualify for federal student aid. A report finds funding to LGBT “issues” was down slightly in 2012, compared to 2011, but almost four times more than what was given 10 years ago. And more…

There was a flurry of activity among federal agencies this month to issue regulations concerning how they are complying with the U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down the key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). All of them were aimed at making sure same-sex marriage couples were treated equally, but not all of them resulted in a positive gain.

Lesbian Republican activist Mary Cheney’s record of contributions to candidates confirms her claim “I’m really conservative.” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh will try to convince St. Patrick’s Day parade organizers to drop its an LGBT contingent. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says all the National Guards are now in line with the post-DOMA reality. And more…

Your support keeps us going. Thank you!

A Closer Look

Renown Supreme Court advocate Ted Olson remembers the first time he had a chance to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court: He didn’t take it. It was a First Amendment case about billboards in San Diego. Olson had been practicing law for 15 years, he had represented his clients from the start, and […]

Breaking News

The U.S. Supreme Court put off until at least this Friday (January 16) a decision on whether it will hear appeals challenging a Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that said states can ban same-sex couples from marrying. Meanwhile, three judges of the Ninth Circuit issued a blistering dissent against the full appeals courts refusal to hear appeals from Idaho and Nevada, and a three-judge panel at the Fifth Circuit heard arguments from challenges to three state bans on Monday.

In a decision that will compel the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of bans against marriage for same-sex couples, a panel of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that it is not unconstitutional for a state to ban marriage licenses to same-sex couples or refuse to recognize marriage licenses such couples obtain from other states.

Maura Healey became the first openly gay person elected as a state attorney general, Sheila Kuehl won a hotly contested race in Los Angeles, Sean Maloney survived his U.S. House challenge, and Carl DeMaio may have won a squeaker in San Diego, but Mike Michaud lost his bid in Maine.

Media attention on Maine’s gubernatorial race was split Thursday between President Obama’s rally for U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud’s bid to become the first openly gay person elected governor of any state and the shake-out over pro-gay third party opponent Eliot Cutler’s announcement that his supporters should feel free to vote for someone else.

This year’s election night is likely to be an important one for the LGBT history books: Voters in Massachusetts are expected to elect the nation’s first-ever openly gay state attorney general, and voters in Maine could very well elect the nation’s first-ever openly gay governor. Here are 10 races to watch November 4.